[GameSpot] - Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion - Everything We Know

[343iBot]

Square Enix isn't stopping with merely bringing Cloud Strife's journey to a new generation of players--a remake of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 is coming and with it, the story of the legendary hero Zack Fair. Revealed during 2022's Final Fantasy 7 25th Anniversary Celebration, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion is a faithful remake of 2007's Crisis Core. The game delves deep into what happened leading up to the events of Final Fantasy 7, as well as how Zack is an incredibly important part of Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, and Sephiroth's history. Here is everything you need to know about the game before it hits shelves later this Winter.

Release date

When Crisis Core Reunion was announced earlier this year, it came with a pretty exciting release window: Winter 2022. However, despite the holiday season rapidly approaching, Square Enix has not yet confirmed exactly what day Crisis Core Reunion is scheduled to release. With Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth scheduled to hit shelves in 2023, we can safely assume the team is gunning to hit their intended release date, so hopefully we won't bump into any dreaded delays.

Platforms

Though Final Fantasy 7 Remake is only available on PlayStation and PC, Crisis Core Reunion will be significantly more accessible. Crisis Core Reunion is slated to release on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. In an interview with Gamespot, producer Yoshinori Kitase said this was to make up for the fact that the game's original PSP release was so limited. Kitase also noted that the original Final Fantasy 7 is now available on all of these platforms, so they thought it would be best to make sure fans of the 1997 version could also experience Zack's story.

What we know

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy Reunion is a "faithful retelling" of the 2007 PSP title Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7. At the center of the game is Zack Fair, a young Shinra SOLDIER who both original Final Fantasy 7 fans and Final Fantasy 7 Remake fans alike will recognize as a close colleague of Cloud Strife. The game follows his mission to locate a missing SOLDIER by the name of Genesis Rhapsody, though as you can imagine, things don't go quite as smoothly as Zack might have hoped.

The game acts as a prequel to Final Fantasy 7, with Zack's story a significant chapter in the lives of Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Sephiroth. It will also serve as our first HD look at some key locations we will surely see in the next chapters of the Final Fantasy Remake trilogy, including Wutai and Nibelheim.

Crisis Core largely received critical acclaim upon release, with GameSpot's review praising it as, "​​an exciting and poignant journey that every fan of role-playing games should take." GameSpot also compliments the game's "Digital Mind Wave" (DMW) system, calling it a "weird but fun way of leveling up." This feature is confirmed to be coming back in Crisis Core Reunion as well.

What changes are being made

Earlier this year, Crisis Core Reunion producer Mariko Sato told GameSpot the game will be "a very faithful retelling of the original story" with no additional story content, unlike the Final Fantasy 7 Remake approach. Various Square Enix members have since confirmed this statement, with the Crisis Core Reunion blog post reading, "Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion is a true remaster that follows the original’s narrative: Zack Fair’s mission to find the missing SOLDIER Genesis Rhapsodos." However, considering how the studio kept fairly quiet about Final Fantasy 7 Remake's changes, we wouldn't be too surprised if this wasn't entirely truthful.

This isn't to say there aren't plenty of changes coming to Crisis Core Reunion. Players can look forward to improved HD graphics, "refreshed" character models, fully voice-acted dialogue, and a new arrangement for the soundtrack. Sato also detailed a few of the game's more mechanical changes, telling GameSpot:

"The hard mode, which was in the overseas version to start with, is now going to be included in the game from the beginning for all regions. And then there's also a new dash function that's been added and new shortcuts to magic abilities and things like that. We wanted to remain faithful to the battle experience of the original Crisis Core, but we also looked to the Final Fantasy 7 Remake and tried to close the gap between that experience and the Crisis Core Reunion battle experience. So it's kind of a very good combination of the original battle system and something close to Final Fantasy 7 Remake. We also heard a lot of fan feedback regarding what could be improved, and we tried to reflect as much of that as possible in Crisis Core Reunion."

Are any other Final Fantasy 7 side games being remade?

As of right now, the answer seems to be no. In GameSpot's interview with the Crisis Core Reunion team, character designer Tetsuya Nomura said:

"With regards to Dirge of Cerberus, timeline-wise, it takes place after Final Fantasy 7, so it is kind of difficult to build it into the current, ongoing 7 Remake story. But, there are some characters from Dirge of Cerberus that appear in the Final Fantasy 7 Remakes, so that's something that Dirge fans can look forward to.

Trailers

So far, there is only one trailer for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion. Revealed during 2022's Final Fantasy 7 25th Anniversary Celebration, the video begins by celebrating Zack Fair, with the words "His legacy, gave life to Final Fantasy 7" appearing on the screen. The trailer then follows Zack and his fellow SOLDIERS, Angeal and Sephiroth, as they prepare to look for their missing colleague, Genesis Rhapsodos. It also offers us a peek at some of the game's most iconic moments, including Zack first meeting Aerith.

How to preorder

While Crisis Core Reunion might not have an official release date, it is already available for preorder at Amazon for $50 USD. Additional retailers and digital storefronts are expected to follow suit once the game's release date is revealed, along with details regarding any preorder bonuses.

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